An interferometric modulator is a class of MEM (micro-electromechanical) systems devices which have been described and documented in a variety of patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,835,255, 5,986,796, 6,040,937, 6,055,090, 6,574,033 (application Ser. No. 10/084,893) U.S. Pat. No. 6,680,792 (application Ser. No. 09/974,544) U.S. Pat. No. 6,867,896 (application Ser. No. 09/966,843) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,067,846 (application Ser. No. 10/878,282), and U.S. Patent Application Publication No 2003/0072070 (application Ser. No. 10/082,397), herein incorporated by reference. One of the key attributes of these devices is the fact that they are fabricated monolithically using semiconductor-like fabrication processes. Specifically, these devices are manufactured in a sequence of steps which combine film deposition, photolithography, and etching using a variety of techniques. Costs in manufacturing processes of this sort are driven in large part by the number of steps in the sequence. Thus, a reduction in the number of masking steps in the overall manufacturing process will help to reduce manufacturing costs.